Over the next few days, Ethan Ye, Shawn Xiao, Derek Zhou, Lynn Lin, Colin Ye, and the other System Hosts all arrived to join up with Ian Song and Mona Meng.
Inside a pavilion in the royal palace of the Sky-Song Kingdom.
Ian Song, Mona Meng, Ethan Ye, and a total of thirteen people sat together. Though they were all monarchs now, their expressions were far from calm—some were expectant, some eager, some lost, and some simply curious.
Because only half an hour remained until the two hundred years were up.
That long half-hour finally passed.
That vast mechanical voice echoed in their minds again: Congratulations, you have completed the ultimate mission. From now on, the System will be under your own control.
As soon as the words fell—
Ian Song realized they were now standing in a beautiful valley.
The valley was in full bloom, fragrant with exotic scents. Looking toward the far end, they saw three men sitting at a stone table on the grass, drinking tea.
"Gavin Jiang, long time no see—congratulations on finishing the mission!"
Ian Song glanced at Gavin Jiang and smiled as he greeted him.
"Hmph!"
Gavin Jiang just answered with a cold snort.
Then Ian Song’s gaze turned back to the three men—two were young, one was middle-aged.
The middle-aged man looked to be in his forties, sporting a small mustache. One youth wore white robes and had long hair draped casually over his shoulders, while the other had short hair and dressed in a modern style, completely out of place in this world.
"All of you, come here!"
The middle-aged man spoke.
Are these three the creators of the System? Ian Song wondered to himself. He quietly probed their cultivation, but found their depths unfathomable—he couldn’t sense a thing.
"Greetings, sirs!"
Ian Song and Mona Meng stepped forward hand in hand and bowed to the three men. The other System Hosts didn’t dare slack off and also bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities!"
The middle-aged man raised his hand and smiled. "You must have a lot of questions right now, don't you?"
"Senior, you see right through us."
Ian Song said.
Martin Hua stroked his mustache and said, "Alright, no need to flatter me. Today, whatever questions you have, the three of us will answer them!"
"May I ask how we should address you three?" Ian Song asked.
The middle-aged man said, "My name is Martin Hua."
The long-haired youth in white robes said, "I'm Leo Li."
The short-haired youth said, "Jack."
After a round of introductions, Martin Hua waved his hand and several stone tables and chairs appeared on the grass. He gestured for them to sit wherever they liked.
"Senior Hua, I have a question for you!" Once seated, Ian Song spoke in a serious tone.
"Go ahead."
Ian Song asked, "Where does cultivation ultimately end?"
Martin Hua replied, "As far as your heart dares to reach, so far your cultivation can go."
Hearing this, Ian Song couldn't help but look thoughtful, as if he'd gained some insight.
"Senior, may I ask why you created the System?"
At this moment, Mona Meng spoke up.
Leo Li laughed, "We’ve lived too long and gotten too bored, so we wanted to cultivate a few companions. That’s how the System came to be! The fact that you’ve come this far proves you’re already amazing."
"May I ask what realm you three have reached?" Mona Meng asked again.
Leo Li said, "You’ve all reached the Creator Realm. After that comes the Ancestral Realm, then the Chaos Realm, then the Return-to-Origin Realm, and finally the Tai-One Realm. All three of us are at the Tai-One Realm!"
Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
They’d all thought the three were only a bit above the Chaos Realm—no one expected they’d actually be two full realms higher!
"Senior, may I ask—how many Tai-One Realm experts are there?"
Ethan Ye asked.
"They're all right in front of you."
Jack finally spoke.
"So there are only three?"
Ian Song murmured quietly.
They went back and forth with questions and answers, and before they knew it, three hours had passed—or at least, that was Ian Song’s estimate, since in this valley they couldn’t actually sense the flow of time.
Martin Hua slowly swept his gaze across the group and said, "Only by reaching the Tai-One Realm can you attain Eternity and true immortality. The fourteen of you who made it this far are already extraordinary, so now we'll give you two choices!"
Everyone immediately perked up and listened closely.
Martin Hua continued, "All three of us have created our own Eternal Worlds—undying and indestructible. You may choose to enter any of our Eternal Worlds to cultivate, and we’ll guide you with all our effort. However, your achievements will forever be capped at the Return-to-Origin Realm. There’s absolutely no chance of advancing beyond that!"
"Second, we can send you into a newly born Eternal Grand World. If you can seize control of that Eternal Grand World, then you’ll have a chance to reach the Tai-One Realm!
Of course, it’s only a chance. Newborn Eternal Grand Worlds are highly exclusive, and sending you in isn’t easy—the only way is through reincarnation. If you can recover your memories, you might be able to fight for control. If not, you’ll live out your lives as natives, endlessly reincarnating in that world. And even if you do seize the Eternal Grand World, if you don’t reach the Tai-One Realm within one Eternal Epoch, you’ll die!
"Senior Hua, what’s the difference between attaining Tai-One and not?" Ian Song asked.
"To attain Tai-One is to gain Eternity—you enjoy an undying, unkillable existence, and no one can destroy you. Of course, if you enter one of our Eternal Worlds, under our protection, you’ll also enjoy something close to eternal life. But even Eternal Worlds undergo cycles of birth and destruction. So in truth, if you enter one of our Eternal Worlds, you can at most live through one Eternal Epoch!"
"How long is that?"
Mona Meng asked.
Martin Hua said, "One epoch is 499,999 years. One Chaos Epoch is 499,999 epochs. One Eternal Epoch is 499,999 Chaos Epochs. Even for you, that’s an unimaginably long time. But when the destruction cycle comes, everyone except the master of the Eternal World will truly vanish."
From the time he got the System until now, Ian Song hadn’t even cultivated for ten thousand years yet—in other words, not even a single epoch. So to him, one Eternal Epoch was practically endless, almost like true eternity.
But then he realized that one day, he would still vanish, and an urgent feeling welled up in his heart.
"Any more questions? If not, let’s hear your choices."
Martin Hua asked with a smile.
Martin Hua added, "By the way—only after you attain Eternity can you send others into an Eternal Grand World!"
"Which will you choose?"
Mona Meng looked at Ian Song and asked.
"I choose the latter—I want to take control of my own destiny!" Ian Song declared, his voice firm and resolute.
"Good!" Leo Li applauded. "I admire your choice, but I still have to remind you: if you choose to pursue Eternity, you may perish within just a few thousand years in the newborn Eternal Grand World. But if you join one of our Eternal Worlds, you’ll be safe for at least one Eternal Epoch!"
"Thank you for the warning, Senior, but I still choose to pursue Eternity!"
Ian Song spoke without the slightest hesitation.